On December 13, the Institute for Medical Research hosted a lecture by Dr. Suzana Blesić, Head of the Group for Biomechanics, Biomedical Engineering, and Physics of Complex Systems. The talk titled “Climate and Health – Projects Climos, PLANET4HEALTH, and ISMED–CLIM” explored how these initiatives address the intersection of climate change and public health.
As part of the Scientific Seminar series, Dr. Blesić outlined the objectives of three European projects to enhance resilience to climate-driven health challenges.
Within PLANET4HEALTH, a multidisciplinary team is developing digital tools and actionable policy recommendations to help decision-makers respond effectively to emerging health risks linked to climate shifts. “We are tracking the spread of mosquito- and sand fly-borne diseases on the Iberian Peninsula, studying worsening air quality in South Africa that disproportionately affects children under five, analyzing food contamination caused by PFAS synthetic compounds in Germany, Austria, and Hungary, and examining the mental health impacts of climate change in these regions,” Dr. Blesić explained.
The Climos project investigates how climate change influences the spread of diseases transmitted by sand flies across Europe.
Finally, the ISMED–CLIM project focuses on technical solutions for early warning systems to monitor sand flies in Portugal, with particular attention to their adoption and use by local communities.
Find all the previous Seminars on the Institute’s YouTube channel.
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